Sunderland mother who stole from Next claimed she had no memory of the offence
A Sunderland mum who stole nearly £200 worth of goods from a Next store claimed she had no recollection of the incident, a court has heard.
Melissa Sloanes, 42, of Clover House, Sourmilk Hill, admitted stealing £191 worth of scent diffusers and a plant from the retailer’s Silverlink store in North Tyneside on May 13.
South Tyneside Magistrates’ Court heard that Sloanes later told police she could not remember the theft, prompting doctors to assess her for possible early-stage dementia — but she was given a clean bill of health.
Her solicitor, Heather Bolton, said Sloanes was “genuinely remorseful” and had been staying at home with help from her daughter to avoid getting into further trouble.
District Judge Zoe Passfield sentenced her to a 12-month conditional discharge, ordering her to pay £95.50 in compensation to Next and £85 in court costs.
Judge Passfield told her:
“You’ve been out of trouble for quite some time and this offence was quite some time ago. You’ll hear nothing more about it if you stay out of trouble for the next year.”
